Page 7 of Simply You & Me

It's irrational. I know this. It doesn't make sense. But it's the one thing I can actually control in my life. It's also the one thing that my body can take care of without thought. I can heal my own hurt. A hurt that I command. It's a heady feeling. And to have it literally ripped away...

I love my life. I love my little sister, the one who calls me Mom. I've done well for us. Life is good. Rory is happy. I'm okay. I'm loved. But the future I dreamed of and the version of me I was excited to grow into was torn away when my parents were murdered. A mugging gone wrong. A touch gone wrong. Now, here I sit, bleeding and crying. Another thing taken from me.

Chapter Five

Tate

"Oh shit. Scatter!"

At Julian's dramatics, I look back to the staircase where Addie disappeared a few minutes ago with my sister. It’s not Addie, though; it’s Rylee that Julian’s scared of. The look on her face is accusatory, making me shift away.

I catch Leo's gaze, but instead of Ry's fourth husband coming to our rescue, he whistles a tune and glides away without a backward glance. Coward.

"Sit down," she growls, with her hands on her hips. Normally, I think her red hair is pretty, but right now, it heightens the way she's fuming. Julian huffs and falls into his chair. The drama rivals the third graders playing tag in the backyard. "Someone want to tell me why one of my best friends is crying in my bathroom right now?"

Seamlessly, we look at Zach. To be fair, he was the one that upset her. Staring hard at his feet, he keeps his arms crossed defensively. "I'm not sure," he says like a question.

"Well, why don't you tell me what happened before I saw her basically running from you then, Zach?"

He shuffles under her hardening glare. "I tried to get her to eat, but she wouldn't."

“You tried to get her to eat, but she wouldn’t?” Rylee repeats his words slowly, like she misunderstood the description of his caveman behavior.

"Yeah. So, I leaned in, but as soon as I touched her, Addie gasped. Then her lip wobbled. Uh," he trails off, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You hurt her."

I flinch. Zach's head whips up. Wyatt straightens and Julian jerks. He would never. Zach might be gruff and domineering as fuck, but he would never hurt a woman. "No, I would never do that!" he protests, looking stricken.

Rylee sighs, double checking the kids are still outside. "You might not have meant to Zach, but I think you might have. Where did you touch her? Also, what the hell are you doing trying to force someone to eat?!"

"He put some weight on her thigh," I respond when Zach starts pacing. "And, come on Ry. You have to see a gust of wind could blow her over. Seriously, is she okay? I swear she acts like we are about to hurt her."

A deep exhale from the kitchen startles me. I hadn't noticed Leo on the other side of the island until now. I thought everyone went outside. His white-blonde hair shines in the light as he leans his forearms against the tile. On the outside, he looks bored. But since I've known him for a little over four years, I've come to realize how much is beneath the surface.

"Addie's not scared of you. She just doesn't know how to sit still."

"Leo," Rylee cautions him, not wanting him to spill their friends’ secrets.

He smiles at her and nods, understanding the warning. "Adelyn is a single mom who works her ass off to take care of Rory. No matter what it costs her."

Oh... oh.

Ry sighs. "What you saw is just who she is. It has nothing to do with you. Addie just has a lot going on, and it's hard to get her to relax."

"But I hurt her? I didn't put much weight on her leg, I swear." Zach seems frantic now, making my anxiety rise.

Leo shrugs, not answering the question. Even Rylee eyes him like he knows something she doesn't. "Maybe you just landed on a muscle, funny. Who knows, man? Just apologize." With that, Leo shuts down and moves to the fridge.

"Where's my mom?" Just as the soft voice reaches my ears, a door closes upstairs. Rory turns to see her mom gliding down the stairs and smiles. Beside her, though, Layla stiffens.

Oh no.

"Auntie Addie? Are you okay?" I hate the way my niece's voice wobbles. My back breaks out in a cold sweat in answer to her trauma response, knowing what's about to happen. "Did someone hurt you?"

Rylee gasps, seeing her daughter's cheeks rapidly losing color. My fists clench, feeling the cool metal of my gun like it was just yesterday I killed their monster. Just as Leo kneels in front of his little girl, Julian’s beside me in a flash. Rory watches on with concern, not quite understanding her friend's rapidly rising panic.

"Tate, baby. Look at me."

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